Roller screen



Nov. 2, 1937., A. F. NYE v J ROLLER SCREEN Filed March 19, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. F. NYE

ROLLER S GREEN Nov 2, 1937.

Filed March 19, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a f T.

W w fiffl ga 11v VENTOR %z's'/z TORNE Y Patented Nov. 2, 1937 UNITED srars PATENT OFFICE ROLLER SCREEN Application March 19, 1935, Serial No. 11,828

3 Claims.

My present invention relates to curtains, screens and like fixtures for application to door and window openings and more particularly to those of the roller type in which a screen, curtain or similar fabric is stored upon a roller or drum at one end of the aperture or frame and drawn out upon occasion to cover the same, and it has for its object to provide improvements whereby the storing roll better lends itself to lo the operations of reeling and unreeling and the storage chamber for the roll is sealed against the entrance of extraneous matter. To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as 15 will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an inside elevation of a fiy screen for n window and similar openings constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention, the screen being in withdrawn or closed position and the window casing in which it is mounted being conventionally shown in par- 25 tia'l vertical section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary Vertical section through the window frame and the roll casing of the screen taken partly in axial section through the screen roll or drum;

30 Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, with the screen withdrawn from the storing roll as in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3 but showing the screen partially rolled up on the storage roll;

Fig. 5 is an elevation, taken from the inner side, of one of the roll holding brackets;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the roll bearings and its mounting, looking in the direction transversely of its axis, and

40 Fig. 7 is a section taken substantially on the line l--! of Fig. 5.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

In my prior patent, No. 1,810,849, issued June 45 16, 1931, I have disclosed and claimed a roller screen mounting of the general nature herein involved. Briefly, it comprises end brackets adapted to be secured to the sides of a window frame; a casing telescopically adjustably sup- 50 ported on these end brackets; a spring roller within the casing telescopically adjustably fitted in hub bearings on the brackets, and a screen wound upon the roller to close the window frame opening. I have illustrated features of the same 55 nature herein which will, therefore, not require extended description in this direction, but I herein disclose improvements whereby the screen fabric, in passing through the storage casing or housing for the screen roller, does so with a minimum of frictional contact, that is, there is always a direct pull toward or from the winding roll and diminution of the convolutions of the screen upon the roller does not produce an awkward angle at which the screen passes between the roll and the exit opening from the casing. This is accomplished with a very simple and inexpensive structure, as will now be described.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I indicates a window casing or similar opening having guides 2 along the vertical sides thereof. At the top corners of the casing on each side are cupshaped plates 3 having flanges 4 and forming end brackets that are secured in place by rigidly attached lugs 5 and screws 6 tight up against 7 the top of the frame. There are corner pieces 1 on the plates 3 spaced slightly from the flanges to receive between the two telescopically the ends of 9. preferably rectangular elongated tubular casing 8. Fastening screws 9 extend through slots in the casing and are threaded into the 5 corner pieces I so that the casing may be cut in length to approximately the intended width of a standard window frame, but if the latter is a little ofi-size due to warpage or other reasons, the casing will still go into place on the brackets.

Fixedly pivoted on the end bracket plates 3 at the bottom of the casing, as at l 0, are swinging trunnion sup-porting plates it, the opposite or free edges of which are arcuate to ride beneath keeper plates [2 riveted to the brackets 3 to hold their movement in a definite path. These supporting plates carry tubular trunnions l3 fixed thereto, one of which appears in detail in Fig. 6. This particular one is slotted at M for a purpose that will later appear.

The screen roller, in the present instance, comprises an inner tubular core piece l5 and an outer winding shell l6 surrounding the core and supported in spaced relationship thereto to form a chamber 17, in which latter is housed the spiral tensioning spring l8 that surrounds the core, as shown, and winds the roll. The shell i6 is so supported on the core by means of a pair of collars l9 and 2H, which turn freely on the core but which are, on the other hand, locked to the sleeve or 0 roller shell it. One end of the spring I8 is interlocked with the core at 2 l, while the other end is interlocked with the shell by means of collar 20 at 22, which provides the well-known spring ro ler action.

The ends of the core piece l5 are journalled in the trunnions I3 and one end is provided with a longitudinal slot 23. A pin 24 extends slidably through this slot and through slot id in the trunnion to lock the core against turning so that the spring may react against it in turning the winding shell 16, but this pin and slot connection sets up the same opportunities for width adjustment as do the connections between the casing and the supporting brackets as these bearings are telescopic also. The whole roller thus swings bodily inwardly and outwardly (with reference to the window opening) on the trunnion plates I I from the positions of Figs. 3 and 5 to the dotted line position of Fig. 4.

The screen or other flexible fabric 25 is secured to the winding shell IS in the usual manner at 26 and passes through a slot 21 in the bottom of the casing 8 near the inner wall 29 thereof, which slot is in alinement with the guides 2. It passes down from the roll adjacent to the said guides 2 against the blind stops or similar ribs on the window casing and its lower edge is attached to a rail 30 which slides on the guide. When so drawn down against the tension of the spring roller, it is held in the closed position of Fig. 1, or any desired intermediate position, by clamps 3i and manual operating means 32 therefor, which constitute no part of this invention and hence require no detailed description here.

The slot 21 in the roll casing is provided with opposed strips of felt or similar material 33 held in clips 34 secured respectively to the bottom of casing 8 and to the inner wall 29. The screen fabric 25 passes snugly between these strips, which'both act as wipers to keep it clean and seal the casing against the entrance of dust and also against the entrance of insects which otherwise are apt to enter such crevices and nest in the casing.

It will be seen from a joint inspection of Figs. 3 and 4 that whether the screen is being drawn downward off of the roll by means of the rail 30 or, upon the loosening of the latter, is being drawn upwardly through the tension of spring I8 in rewinding, there will be a straight pull through the slot 21, that is, the portion next to the roll will always be in the vertical plane of the slot and of the guides 2 instead of being at the usual changing and awkward angle to the slot. There is, therefore, a minimum of friction and resistance to its movement and minimum wear or grinding action against the felts 33. This is because, as aforesaid, the roll swings bodily inwardly and outwardly as its convolutions diminish or accumulate. This being the case and to limit and define the inward movement of the roll, I provide an idler roll 35 with which the screen roll as a whole is always in contact. This roll is accommodated in an inwardly projecting breast or extension 35 formed in the inner wall 29 of the casing 8 and it is journalled on roller studs 31 mounted on corresponding extensions of the end bracket plates 3.

It will be understood that my invention may be utilized with the spring roll mounting of any flexible material or fabric though I have shown it in connection with a wire mesh fly screen.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a roll screen, the combination with an elongated casing having a longitudinally extending screen slot therein at one side and end walls, of trunnion supports pivoted on the endsiof and inside of the casing to throw the trunnion centers toward and from the plane of the slot, a spring roller mounted to turn and to weave, if necessary, on the trunnion supports, a fabric wound upon the roller to run tangentially thereof in the slot, and an idler roll on the other side of the plane of the slot as defined by the drawn fabric to make contact with the rolled fabric also at said point of tangency.

2. In a roller screen mounting, the combination with end bracket plates adapted to be secured to the sides of a window casing and a screen roller having telescopic bearing supports thereon, of corner pieces on the plates spaced from the flanges thereof, a tubular casing housing the screen roller and engaging telescopically between the corner pieces and the flanges, said casing being provided with slots, and set screws extending through such slots in the casing and threaded into the corner pieces.

3. In a roll screen mounting, the combination with an elongated casing having a longitudinally extending screen slot therein at one side and end walls, of a supporting plate carrying a trunnion pivoted on each end of and inside the casing to throw the trunnions toward and from the slot, and a keeper on each wall guiding the edge of the associated plate.

ALVIN F. NYE. 

